The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1887-11-19
SUNDAY COLLECTIONS.
BY G.. RALsTON AYREs,
Abstract of Address on Sunday Collections,
Made at the General Convention.

One day last summer, while rambling
under the vast, solemn arches of West
Minister Abbey, and past the monu-
ments of distinguished and heroic dead,
| came to a memorial that commemOra-
ted great and far-reaching work-yet
one of much simplicity monument
to Sir Rowland Hill At a time when
postage was very expensive, he gave
large portion of his time to illustrating
how penny postage would bring nations,
business firms and individuals more
closely together, and hasten the time
that will witness the brotherhood of
man.
Gentlemen of the General Conven-
ton, there is plan before you for the
extension of our Church, as simple, yet
as important as the penny-postage plan;
and giving as much promise of bringing
the world together like great brother
hood. The plan has been successfully
and l trust permanently established in
our two Philadelphia churches. 1t is
based upon the principle that mission
ary effort should be continuous and not
simply annual and that if you want to
fill the Universalist denomination with
men, women and children, interested
in missionary work, you must train
them to habits of continuous, associated
and systematic giving. 1t is truly
Universalist method, for it gives all the
people the opportunity to give.
Concerning our experience with rails
ing revenue by missionary boxes ard
annual collections, what are the facts
Our revenues have not been sufficient
to carry on all the work the Convention
could have accomplished. We are not
getting out Of the churches what they
ought to give. Now, what is the mat
ter, and if anything is the matter, how
can it be remedied -?
The General Convention needs a
method that will not only secure for it
a satisfactory revenue, but which will
at the same time train all the people to
habits of giving, and make them inter
ested in the Conventions enterprises.
Annual collections have not so trained
the people,
Every Sunday in the two Philadel-
phia churches, collections are taken
and when these collections are not for
special objects, such as for hospitals,
for the poor, or an annual collection,
they are equally divided. One half of
the amount is kept for home uses, and
the other half is again cut in two; for
that half goes to missionary purposes.
The Pennsylvania State Convention
gets one share, and the General Con-
vention gets another. l take this op-
portunity to compliment Rev. DIR.
Sweetser for so frequently bringing the
needs of the Convention before his con-
gregation. In his Sunday-schOol, all
the collections are given away for mis-
sionary or charitable purposes. Never
before has there been manifested by
the Philadelphia churches such general
and practical interest in missionary
work. The annual collections in these
churches have been large, because the
people have been trained to habits of
giving. The plan is as simple as that
postage should be reduced to a penny
Add to annual collections Sunday col
leetiOns, and even your annual collec-
tions will be larger. When people are
trained to give habitually and systemat-
ically every Sunday to missionary work,
they become interested and will give
more generously at their annual Offering